Saturday, January 28, 2012

Vegan Tofu Wrap from OR Smoothie & Cafe in the Central West End, St. Louis. They also have a Portabella Wrap that is vegan and a Tempeh Wrap which can be made Vegan. The "Central West End" (CWE) in St. Louis is a trendy area near Barnes Jewish Hospital and parts of Washington University. Home to a lot of restaurants, trendy shops, coffee places, and bar/night spots. It's North/South borders would probably be Delmar (north) and Forest Park Parkway (South). And the Western border is Kingshighway. Eastern border may be Taylor....So it's a nice area to walk around after noshing on vegan eats. If you are from out of town, you might want to head over to The St. Louis Cathedral. The mosaics will blow you away. A major "quiet" tourist attraction at 4431 Lindell.

Or Juice & Smoothie has another location on Clayton Road (which is perpetually rushed by Bikram students just getting out of class). This Euclid Location is a bit bigger than the Clayton Road location, which has limited seating and a no cell phone policy. I believe that you can use your phone/ipad, etc...and you won't get busted for changing the cellular integrity of the supplements nearby. You order at the counter. Which means you don't have to worry about "figuring out a tip". Lots of vegan options and dishes with a star noting "may be made vegan". They use Bragg's a lot, so many of the dishes can be gluten free (vs. soy sauce which contains gluten).

I love that this place is "centrally located" so it is an option if I meet up with folks who like to eat healthier but may not want to go to a "full on" vegan place. Well, there is only one of those in city limits (PuraVegan) and they are not open for lunch. So this & Whole Foods are my best options. VegaDeli would be great, but that is a trek from downtown.

They are mostly vegetarian and do have some vegan options. Full Line of Juices (except you can't really get JUST a green juice). Wheatgrass Shots. Smoothies.

There isn't a ton of ambiance in this place. But they have good clean food. Service is speedy enough and seems like they are pretty used to dealing with rushes as it is close to the hospital and student base.

The gal I went with ordered a Tofu Wrap. It seems like their wraps are made with the sprouted tortillas (not raw). My hubby gets this one as well. Also the Rice Bowl with Brown Rice & Veggies looks like it is a fair amount of food. Hubby's absolute favorite are the Veggie Spring Rolls.

Overall, this place rocks. It isn't the biggest, but there is enough seating to hang out for hours with the girls. They have bubble teas (soy milk offered) and a lots of espresso types of drinks as well. Everyone seems to be able to find something to eat. The prices are okay....middle of the range. Totally casual environment. And just a great location. There are very few places in the entire St. Louis area that offer "clean" food and actually have vegan/gluten free options. So even though this place has some non-veg stuff, the veggie stuff is still high enough quality that it makes it worth it. And they seem to really "know" what is vegan and have clear labelling on their menu. A few dishes also have "may be made vegan" as well, so it is very easy to order here. And the fact that they have freshly made juices here from real veggies like celery, carrots & beets-well also a rarity here. So it is on my short list for sure. PuraVegan and VegaDeli are above it. Since they are both ALL vegan. But.....this is basically 3rd on the list, along with Whole Foods Salad Bar.

These kids will hopefully at least get T&R (trapped, spayed/neutered and released). But since they are not "feral" we would love for them to find real homes. These are short clips from our East St. Louis Feedings of the stray dogs & cats. Pj & GPG have been going every single day for well over a decade, to care for these kids. Feed, Rescue, Foster, and Adopt.....

And Lloyd. Who has been out here for at least 5 years. But Pj sees him on & off. We have been seeing him on a fairly regular basis right now. Poor guy is getting gray on the streets. He is a bit alpha though so Pj thinks he would do best with a submissive female or as an only dog. She didn't think he would fare so well with cats......she is just guessing based upon how he is on the streets. However, he seems like a real sweetheart with people. All Photos below are from January 26, 2012 Feedings in East St. Louis. All of these kids are up for adoption, but they need fosters. As soon as we get a foster, we can pull them.

Horton. His pack has been rescued so he is trying to make new friends.

Knuckles. Most likely on the short list as he needs his "elbow" checked. It may be dislocated, and we may or may not be able to fix it. But we want to at least check.

This group is nearly always here. At least 5 cats. Mr. Tux, the black & white one, is always the first to come out. The siamese is a little shy but really funny.

They aren't really "feral" because they come when Pj drives up, and they let her pet them. Picking them up may or may not be difficult, depending on the cat. If we rescued them we would most likely have to trap them. But they need fosters.

So cute!

Rebel is a newer little girl on the route. Pj thinks she has had one litter of puppies. She wants to pull her before she has another, but is just working on getting her to come a bit closer each time. She is really shy right now and I couldn't believe she was this close. We were both in the car at this point. But the first time we saw her she just kept running the opposite direction. She didn't associate Pj's car with food at that time. Now she has learned....

Poor RaRa. Every time Pj sees her, she asks if anyone wanted to foster her. And Pj has to tell her that there are no fosters for her. Even though she was in the documentary and has been such a sweet girl out here. She would probably do best with a submissive male (like most women, right?).

This is one cat from an actual "colony" of kids. They are on a different street from Mr. Tux and the bunch. Only a few came out this day, but this one was so funny as he was hanging out on the roof.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Out of all the "fine vegan" dining offered in New York, this may be my hubby's favorite. Pizza could actually be considered a vegetable here! Lots of gluten free, dairy free, kosher options. Vegan cookies, brownies, and ice creams. Green Juices. This place is amazing. Hemp Crusts. Spelt. Spinach. Broccoli. Daiya Cheese. Thin Crust. Thick Crust. By the slice or buy the whole pie. In a wonderful location, across the street from Liquiteria, a juice bar that offers both "regular" juice and "wonder juice" from the "Norwalk Juicer" (the juicer of yours truly).

Lots of Vegan options....

Yikes! GLUTEN FREE!!! VEGAN!!!! This is the first place we ever had Daiya. They had it before it hit retail.

Vegan & Soyfree!

Yum!!

Wheat & Sugar Free. Vegan. And full of HEMP!

Cookies!

Ganja anyone?? This is Pizza on Willy Wonka!! VERY full of garlic!

Vegan. Spelt. "Seitan Dream". With Artichokes & SunDried Tomatoes.

Green Tea Miso-Tofu? Shitake? Maritake? Green Tea herbed spelt crust.

Vegan.

Everything Vegan. Some gluten free.

Gluten Free. Vegan. Sugar Free Cookies.

Vegan Whoopie Pies.

It's a small place but a very comfy hang. Super casual.

Lots of students. But people of all ages come here for yummy vegan eats.

Green Juices, Kombucha, Coconut water.

Even a Vegan Ice Cream Freezer. Chicago Soy Dairy desserts.

Here the Pizza would probably qualify as a vegetable.

There is so much broccoli on the pizza. Probably more on one slice than most people get in a whole day.

Hubby usually gets this Sicilian for lunch then gets something with more zing for late night eats! The sauce is so full of flavor.

All the good stuff. Hot peppers, nutritional yeast.

Yes, they have "real" juice.

Veggie & "Omega" zines....

Love that the Veggie places support the animal sanctuaries & food festivals.

These are just a few of the kids we see. Pj feeds the dogs every single day and GPG rescues them as we are able. We always need fosters! Knuckles may get pulled soon. His leg/hip might actually be dislocated so PJ is keeping an eye on him to see if it is just arthritis or if he needs medical attention.

I kind of can't believe Mr. Tux & the Siamese cat aren't already adopted!! There are about 5 cats at this house. We tried to trap one for someone, but we got the "wrong" one (that wouldn't work with her others) and ended up doing a trap & release, and a neuter. We are working with some girls that will be doing more T&R for these kids. Of course we would prefer to find them homes, but while we are looking, we don't want the population to get too crazy. They are not truly "feral" as they let Pj pet them and they run alongside the car!!

This cat is by far the most social cat on the route. He always runs alongside the car, too close for comfort. He will love all over you. We thought he belonged (we use that term loosely) to someone, but Pj checked, and he does not. I think he would do really well adapting to life in a home. Does anyone want to foster this cat??

Check out this article in the Huffington Post about Processed Meats & Cancer . It says that the more processed meat you eat, the...

Disclaimer

Obviously this blog is purely for entertainment. I am not a doctor nor do I even play one on TV (no comment on foreplay). Anything I write is based on my own personal experience and you should consult a doctor (choose one wisely!!) if you have any medical concerns. I take no responsibility for any information you use from this blog.